Georgia Quickly Becomes Global Cybersecurity Hub

Responsive image
The Georgia Cyber Center was completed in Augusta in 2018. It is home to higher-ed groups, defense contractors, and the GBI's Cyber Crime Center.

When it came time for leaders at Unisys to decide a location for its latest technology center, it may surprise some that their property search didn't bring them to bustling megacities like New York or London, or tech's global capital in Silicon Valley. Instead, they were looking for space along the Savannah River in Augusta, a city of roughly 200,000 best known as the host of The Masters each spring. But for Tom Patterson, Chief Trust Officer at Unisys, Augusta was a no-brainer.

"I told a reporter a couple of years ago that cyber will give golf a run for its money here in Augusta, and she laughed," he recalls. "Now here we are, seeing it become a reality."

That reality is what many in the cybersecurity industry have recognized in Augusta over the last few years. For starters, the US Army's Cyber Command Center was relocated to Fort Gordon, just outside Augusta, breaking ground in 2016, with over $2 billion of planned infrastructure investments.

Augusta's Cybersecurity Environment

This long-term investment by the U.S. government has given birth to the Fort Gordon Cyber District, an economic development initiative across seven counties in Georgia and South Carolina, with Augusta as the anchor.

The military's enormous investment in its new Cyber Command Center at Fort Gordon positions Augusta nicely as the hub of cybersecurity activity. The revitalized downtown center along the Savannah River has already seen rapid development around the industry.

The cornerstone here is another public sector investment, this time from the state of Georgia, which has recently built the Georgia Cyber Center. The 300,000 square foot building along the river is home to several private cybersecurity firms, in addition to an incubator for startups, Augusta University's School of Computer Science, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's cybercrime unit.

With such a commitment from the state and federal governments, it's no wonder why Unisys and many other private firms have found a home in Augusta as well.

The effort has also spawned new training and workforce development efforts within cybersecurity at colleges and universities across the state, including Augusta University.

This rapid development of coordinated efforts between the private sector, education institutions, and the state and federal governments has created a high functioning environment for the cyber industry to flourish in Augusta. With all of these groups connecting, the Augusta area has created a sustainable model for the cyber industry to continue growing.

Cybersecurity Contracts

These efforts have already paid off, with over 440 federal contracts issued between 2014 and 2022 for cybersecurity-related work. And the presence of Fort Gordon, again, has fueled growth of cybersecurity companies in Georgia.

This deliberate partnership between public and private institutions, with education and training centers preparing a pipeline for a needed workforce, is what makes the Augusta area so attractive for cyber security firms. Unisys Augusta is currently home to over 500 employees; a number that will almost double in the next couple of years.

Responsive image
Innovating in Atlanta

Of course, it's not only in Augusta, where cybersecurity companies and talent have grown in Georgia. In Midtown Atlanta, a small firm called Apptega helps businesses manage and automate all of the regulatory requirements and data associated with their cybersecurity systems. Another company, Evident, offers secured API services that allow companies to perform background checks without having to collect and store sensitive information. Diagis delivers automated security analysis software for companies to detect threats before they become problems. Each of these companies does something different, but they're all tied together by the Cyber boom in Georgia. They're also all members of the Advanced Technology Development Center.

Responsive image

Founded in 1980, ATDC is a start-up accelerator that has provided a home and services to hundreds of startups, recently seeing a suge in cybersecurity start-ups. Located in Tech Square on Georgia Tech's campus, the incubator - and Georgia Tech as a whole - serve as a growth engine for Atlanta and the region's burgeoning Cybersecurity industry, much like the Georgia Cyber Center does for the Augusta area.

It's not just start-ups that take advantage of the strong support and partnership between the public, private, and education industries. Cybersecurity firms around the world have either moved or opened offices in the Atlanta area to lean on the expanding and more affordable talent.

There are currently over 150 companies in Metro Atlanta that specialize in cybersecurity services. Most are concentrated in Midtown Atlanta and the Northern suburbs.

Cyber Contracts for Atlanta Companies

Atlanta's cybersecurity companies are among the most respected and sought after across the nation. Government agencies across the US have awarded hundreds of contracts to companies in Atlanta for their cybersecurity expertise.

Responsive image

Federal contracts fulfilled by ATL companies for cybersecurity work, 2015 - Dec 2020; Source: GDX

Centers of Innovation

Like Fort Gordon does for the Augusta area, Metro Atlanta's cybersecurity environment grows around the innovation centers of Georgia Tech and ATDC. In 2010 and 2013, Forbes named ATDC to its list of "Incubators Changing the World," along with Y Combinator and the Palo Alto Research Center. With access to Georgia Tech's unparalleled resources, the coaching and curriculum at ATDC have helped nearly 200 companies in total, with many in recent years focusing on cybersecurity.

ATDC's success has been followed by the creation of other innovation centers in the state, including Georgia Tech's Information Security & Privacy Center and the Honeywell Cyber Security Lab, both of which are dedicated entirely to advancing cybersecurity technology.

Of course, accelerators and innovation centers aren't isolated to Midtown Atlanta. ATDC has satellite locations around the state to assist tech entrepeneurs, while Baker Donnelson has its own cybersecurity innovation center. In Cobb County, Kennesaw State University has built a state-of-the-art facility for developing the cybersecurity talent the industry needs.

Building World Class Cybersecurity Talent

Georgia's cybersecurity industry has seen tremendous growth in recent years, and while the addition of Army's Cyber Command in Augusta, and Georgia Tech's presence in Atlanta are central to that story, cybersecurity firms have increasingly called Georgia home because of that state's ability to supply and produce a quality workforce for the industry. From Georgia's high schools to its colleges and universities, the state has made significant inroads in training and graduating more students with the skills the cybersecurity industry desperately needs. Combined with the region's ability to attract workers from around the world, Georgia's workers can fulfill nearly any company's cybersecurity needs.

Just north of metro Atlanta, Kennesaw State University saw the need for cybersecurity professionals to close the nationwide talent gap in the field. The university created the Institute for Cybersecurity Workforce Development in 2017, along with one of the highest rated cybersecurity bachelor's degrees. Since the institute's creation, KSU has seen a large increase in turnout, with nearly 900 students completing cybersecurity relevant programs in 2020. All of this work has earned KSU the designation of a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity, a recognition issued by the NSA.

Responsive image

Kennesaw State University Campus

Cyber Careers Start in High School

Georgia's colleges aren't alone in bolstering the state's cybersecurity talent. There is a statewide initiative at play, starting early in high schools. As of the 2020-2021 school year, there were over 300 high schools in the state with nearly 10,000 students enrolled in the Cybersecurity Career Pathway.

In Cobb County, home to Kennesaw State, there were over 400 high school students enrolled in this pathway, providing a homegrown source of talent for their top-tier post-secondary programs.

Every corner of the state has students enrolled in the cybersecurity pathway, and while the majority are in the Atlanta and Augusta areas, Georgia has a solid foundation for a cybersecurity workforce to met the needs of any business in any location.

Responsive image

High School enrollment in cybersecurity pathway, 2020-2021 school year; Source: GA DOE

World-Class Post-Secondary Programs

At the post-secondary level, Georgia has 15 colleges and universities offering cybersecurity-related programs. This doesn't include dozens of satellite campuses where courses can also be taken.

In 2010, these schools had a little over 1,300 students complete these programs. By 2020, it was well over 7,000 students completing these programs. That's more than a 400% increase in less than a decade.

While schools in the Washington, D.C. area understandably produce more graduates in these programs than anywhere else, Metro Atlanta rivals any other market, and the state of Georgia compares favorably to any other state.

NSA Recognition

Not only are Georgia's schools among the best in the nation at producing cybersecurity talent, they're also among the most reputable.

Twelve of Georgia's colleges have received the National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity certification from the NSA, a number that places Georgia in the top 10 across the nation for institutions receiving the NSA's special recognition for cybersecurity excellence.

Responsive image

Colleges and Universities designated a national Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity; Source: NSA

Looking at Jobs Profiles

Of course, high school course enrollment and college compltion information isn't the only indication of an area's workforce. After all, students can always move somewhere else after graduating. Another indicator of Georgia's strong workforce in cybersecurity is understanding the skillset of those who live there.

In order to do this, the skillsets listed on jobs profiles on social media platforms like LinkedIn or Glassdoor give us a good approximation of howm any people in a particular area have a specific skill.

Again, the D.C. area collectively has the most individuals with online jobs profiles mentioning cybersecurity skills. But Metro Atlanta places within the top 5 MSAs, with over 13,000 people in the metro area having some kind of cybersecurity skill listed on an online jobs profile.

Responsive image

Online jobs profiles containing key word "cybersecurity," updated between Jan. 2017 - Aug. 2021; Source: Emsi Profile Analytics

Job profiles are certainly an indicator, but every industry has its own nuances when it comes to cybersecurity needs. Specific industries require specific skillsets, and within cybersecurity, there are dozens of credentials and certifications many jobs require.

A deeper dive into these jobs profiles can help peel back the layers of Georgia's cybersecurity talent.

To use Metro Atlanta as an example, every dot represents 5 individual jobs profiles for people working in Metro Atlanta that list at least one cybersecurity-related skill or credential.

In jobs postings for cybersecurity professionals around the country, certain credentials are listed as requirements. There are thousands of workers in Metro Atlanta who hold certifications that are most typically required in jobs postings.

The most frequently listed is the Certified Information Systems Security certification. Excluding the D.C. area - which has far more than any other metro area - Atlanta is among the top metros in the country.

The same is true for certifications of Certified Ethical Hacker...

... and total GIAC certifications.

No matter the certification, Metro Atlanta workers are always amongst the top metros in holding them.

Using the menu above, it's evident to see that, regardless of certification, Metro Atlanta has workers with expertise in a variety of domains within the cybersecurity industry. Whether it be individuals relocating to Georgia for the lifestyle, cost of living, and opportunities, or Georgia's own high school and college graduates, the state offers the total numbers, diversity of expertise, and, perhaps most crucially, the statewide infrastructure for developing a sustainable workforce in the cybersecurity space.

Given the size and diversity of Georgia's cybersecurity talent, combined with the focused, long-term investments by the state, it's easy to see why a company like Unisys sees so much opportunity in Augusta or how Apptega is able to have so much success in Atlanta. With huge, long-term commitments from the state and federal governments to develop cybersecurity capacity, the education initiatives starting in high school and going through doctorate degrees at Georgia Tech, and the competitive workforce the state already has, Georgia has positioned itself as an ideal home to any cybersecurity company looking to set up shop, or any worker looking for an opportunity in the field.

targetIndustries

Target Industries >

Georgia's thriving industries are as diverse as our landscape. Click to browse the latest stats for each one, and more.

targetIndustries

Contact Our Team >

Ready to find your place in Georgia? Reach out to one of our team members for help.

targetIndustries

Explore Talent >

Looking for cyber talent near you? Use our tools to find local talent in select industries.